Twitter brings in-stream video ads to the UK

Having already launched in-stream video ads in the US in April, Twitter is now bringing the offering to the UK as it ramps up its investment in video and content.

The expansion was announced at the company’s session at the IAB Digital Upfronts, where it was also revealed that Twitter would be partnering with Global brand PopBuzz for the social network’s first exclusive orginal live programming in the UK.

The show, called #PopBuzzPresents, will be a weekly 30-minute music programme broadcast live from Twitter’s UK headquarters in central London. The stream will focus on a millennial audience and provide brands with an opportunity to reach a engaged audience at scale by sponsoring content.

“Premium quality, brand-safe live content is a real priority for Twitter, with more than 1200 hours shown in Q2 2017 alone, reaching 55m unique viewers, up from 600 hours as recently as Q4 2016,” said David Wilding, director of planning for Twitter. “Here in the UK, we’ve been exceptionally busy talking to a whole range of fantastic partners, and today’s news reflects the successful inroads we’ve already made, as well as what a creative and ambitious market we’re lucky enough to work in.”

The in-stream video ads have been tested over the summer, with advertisers including PayPal, Samsung, Magnum and Green Flag. Twitter is hoping they will provide advertisers with quality, brand-safe video content that will enable publishers to drive more revenue and help brands aligh with the best mobile video content.

“People are watching more video than ever and since we started testing In Stream Video ads in the UK in July, we’ve had some fantastic early results,” said Lucy O’Dwyer, head of video solutions for EMEA at Twitter.

“Focusing on the best brand-safe premium video content available, we’ve partnered with over 260 Publisher accounts in the UK, including the likes of Sky, ESPN, football clubs such as Manchester City, Global, Hearst, Bauer Media, Huffington Post, Viacom, as well as global publishing partners such as Mashable, Bloomberg and Business Insider. In Stream Video Ads give brands a superb opportunity to aligh with premium quality, brand-safe broadcast and publisher video at real scale.”

Alongside its partnership with PopBuzz, Twitter also confirmed that it was teaming up with BT Sports for real-time clips of the Champions League, in-game coverage and match highlights from The Ashes, and to produce a free live-streamed show called The Score, which will be broadcast ever week across the 2017/18 Premier League season.

Twitter is also working with Sky Sports for real-time, in-game highlights from the England Rugby Autumn Internationals, a livestream covering the Premier League transfer deadline days in January and August 2018, and coverage leading up the IBF title fight between Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev on 28 October.